Pius IV, Günther Groissböck; Giovanni Morone, Michael Nagy; Bernardo Novagerio, Michael Laurenz; Cardinal Christoph Madruscht, Wolfgang Bankl; Carlo Borromeo, Wolfgang Koch; Palestrina, Michael Spyres; Ighino, Kathrin Zukowski; Silla, Patricia Nolz. Conductor, Christian Thielemann; Director, Herbert Wernicke; Design and Lighting, Herbert Wernicke I spent the late morning and early afternoon in a bit of a pilgrimageContinue reading “Pfitzner, Palestrina. Wiener Staatsoper, 5/12/24”
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Monteverdi, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. Wiener Staatsoper, 4/12/24
Ulisse, Georg Nigl; Penelope, Stephanie Maitland; Telemaco, Cyrille Dubois; Minerva, Isabel Signoret; Melanto / L’umana fragilità 3, Daria Sushkova; Nettuno / Antinoo / Il Tempo, Antonio Di Matteo; Pisandro / L’umana fragilità 4, Pavel Kolgatin; Iro / L’umana fragilità 2, Jörg Schneider; Ericlea / L’umana fragilità 1, Stephanie Houtzeel; Giove, Matthäus Schmidlechner. Orchestra, Concentus MusicusContinue reading “Monteverdi, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. Wiener Staatsoper, 4/12/24”
Elizabeth Brauss, piano. Wigmore Hall, 2/12/24
Bach, Capriccio in B flat (Capriccio on the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother) BWV992; Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat Op. 81a ‘Les Adieux’; Schumann, Geistervariationen WoO. 24; Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat Op. 83 This recital was entitled ‘Farewell‘ to give it a thematic link – a descriptiveContinue reading “Elizabeth Brauss, piano. Wigmore Hall, 2/12/24”
Dark Century. LPO. Royal Festival Hall, 27/11/24
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrey Boreyko conductor; Gidon Kremer violin; Alexander Roslavets bass, narrator, London Philharmonic Choir. Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw, Op.46; Weinberg: Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.67; Shostakovich: Symphony No.13 in B flat minor (Babi Yar) for bass, chorus & orchestraThe background, in a sense, to this concert is the book by JeremyContinue reading “Dark Century. LPO. Royal Festival Hall, 27/11/24”
Handel Messiah. Westminster Abbey 26/11/24
Choir of Westminster Abbey, Academy of Ancient Music; Andrew Nethsingha, conductor; Anna Dennis, soprano; Tristram Cooke, countertenor; Simon Wall, tenor; Jonathan Brown, bass. Going to this event was a matter of happenstance. I had hoped to be going to the L’Elisir D’Amore production at ENO but had wrongly written down the date of the showContinue reading “Handel Messiah. Westminster Abbey 26/11/24”
Verdi, Rigoletto. ENO, 21/11/24
Weston Hurt, Rigoletto; Yongzhao Yu, Duke of Mantua; Robyn Allegra Parton, Gilda; William Thomas, Sparafucile; Amy Holyland, Maddalena; David Kempster, Monterone. Richard Farnes, Conductor; Jonathan Miller, Director; Elaine Tyler-Hall, Revival Director; Patrick Robertson and Rosemary Vercoe, Designers; Ian Jackson-French, Revival Lighting Designer; Tommy Shaw, Choreographer This is a very famous – and now elderly –Continue reading “Verdi, Rigoletto. ENO, 21/11/24”
Britten: Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opera North, Lowry Salford. 13/11/24
James Laing, Oberon; Daisy Brown, Tytania; Camilla Harris, Helena; Siân Griffiths, Hermia; Joel Williams, Lysander; James Newby, Demetrius; Henry Waddington, Bottom; Daniel Abelson, Puck; Nicholas Watts, Flute; Colin Judson, Snout; Dean Robinson, Quince; Andri Björn Róbertsson, Theseus; Molly Barker, Hippolyta. Garry Walker, Conductor; Matthew Eberhardt, Revival Director; Johan Engels, Set Designer; Ashley Martin-Davis, Costume Designer;Continue reading “Britten: Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opera North, Lowry Salford. 13/11/24”
Tim Horton, piano: Sheffield, St Marie’s Cathedral. 8/11/24
Mozart 12 Variations ‘Ah Vous Dirai-Je, Maman’ K265; Schoenberg Drei Klavierstücke Op.11; Haydn Piano Sonata In D Hob.Xvi:42; Brahms Drei Intermezzi Op.117; Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23 Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’ This was a interestingly planned recital aimed at demonstrating links between the 1st and 2nd Viennese Schools via Brahms. It also took in several examples ofContinue reading “Tim Horton, piano: Sheffield, St Marie’s Cathedral. 8/11/24”
BBC Symphony Orchestra: Busoni. Barbican 1/11/24
Grazyna Bacewicz Symphony No 2; Ferrucio Busoni Piano Concerto. BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo conductor; Kirill Gerstein piano; BBC Symphony Chorus (lower voices) This was a great treat – two works I have never heard live before and one which was completely new to me! The Busoni concerto I have listened to a few timesContinue reading “BBC Symphony Orchestra: Busoni. Barbican 1/11/24”
Halle Orchestra, Wong. Bruckner. Bridgewater Hall, 26/10/24
Kahchun Wong conductor, Bruckner Symphony No.9 – four movement version with fourth movement revised by Dr John A Phillips This was an exciting occasion for me. I had grumbled in February that Nathalie Stutzman’s performance of the usual 3 movement Bruckner 9 with the LSO was not using one of the completed versions of theContinue reading “Halle Orchestra, Wong. Bruckner. Bridgewater Hall, 26/10/24”
John's musical journey 